It is my joy and privilege to introduce Lisa Bunker, a woman whose life and words shimmer with authenticity, resilience, and quiet grace. Lisa is best known for her imaginative and deeply human novels Felix Yz and Zenobia July, stories that open portals not only to other worlds, but into the hearts of young readers who yearn to see themselves reflected with tenderness and truth. After decades of persistence, Lisa is now living her dream as a full-time writer, creating stories that blend whimsy with wisdom, and crafting characters who are wonderfully, unapologetically themselves. Having transitioned in her mid-forties, she speaks with gentle clarity about the realities of gender, love, and becoming.
Her path was not without its challenges, but Lisa’s story is one of remarkable grace: she did not lose family or friends, she found herself. Beyond the page, Lisa has also stepped into the realm of politics, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and standing as a powerful example of how trans voices can shape public life with dignity and purpose. In love, too, she has found joy and sanctuary, engaged to the woman who loves her for exactly who she is. Lisa Bunker is not only a writer of trans stories, but a writer of human stories. Her voice is thoughtful, lyrical, and grounded in a deep belief in the worth of every person. In this conversation, she opens up about her creative journey, her experience of transition, and the quiet power of simply not giving up. Let’s meet her.
Monika: It’s a pleasure and an honor to speak with you today, Lisa. Many of our readers know you as the author of Felix Yz (Viking, 2017), a touching and imaginative story about a boy fused with an alien. Your second novel, Zenobia July, about a transgender girl experiencing life as her true self in a new school, was set for release in Winter/Spring 2019, also from Viking. Welcome, Lisa!
Lisa: Hi Monika! I’m glad to be talking to you today.
Monika: To begin, would you kindly introduce yourself in your own words and tell us what your life looks like at the moment?
Lisa: Well, you covered the basic facts of my current life situation in your intro. I’m finally a full-time author after decades of trying to make that my work. Also, I’m in a wonderful relationship and finally getting to find out what it’s like to love and be loved as the person I actually am. Plus, my children are grown and my parents are gone. So, I guess you could say I’m a person whose dreams have finally come true who then finds herself curiously free to look around for the next thing to do. It’s a deeply peaceful chapter in my life, filled with gratitude and quiet discovery.
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| Lisa Bunker at Water Street Bookstore (YouTube) |
Monika: When did your journey as a writer begin, and how did you come to publish your first book?
Lisa: I’ve known I wanted to be a writer since I was five, and I’ve worked at it all my life. Felix was my third finished novel and maybe the 15th or 20th I started. All those years, whatever else I was doing, I was also writing. My persistence was fueled by a deep sense that stories were the truest way I could connect with the world.
Monika: In your view, how does being transgender influence your creative work, if at all, as a writer, poet, or artist?
Lisa: Honestly, I don’t think being trans makes me that different from cis writers. Writing is not an inherently gendered act. It’s a human mind and soul alone with a language, trying to make something out of it that will give other humans insight or pleasure or comfort or all three. That said, of course, I’m in a unique position to tell trans stories, and I do think it matters to hear stories from the people who have lived them. Being trans simply gives me an additional lens through which I view and interpret the human experience.
Monika: Your novels often center around teenage protagonists. What draws you to writing from a young person’s perspective?
Lisa: So far, they are. The first two ideas I’ve been able to sell have had young main characters. But I have ideas for books with adult main characters too. There’s something powerful about exploring identity and change through the eyes of young people, it naturally lends itself to honest storytelling.
Monika: When crafting transgender characters, do you weave aspects of your own life into their experiences, or do you keep the stories entirely separate from your personal journey?
Lisa: Not just trans characters, most characters. I find writing to be a form of play-acting, a kind of internal improv, and I cast myself and people I know in the various roles and then imagine what we would all say and do. Most of my characters have at least a little bit of me in them. Facets. That blending of imagination and lived experience helps me write characters that feel emotionally real.
Monika: Do you find it especially challenging to pursue poetry or literature in today’s increasingly materialistic and fast-paced world?
Lisa: It has always been hard to make a living as a writer. I consider myself fortunate to have finally gotten published by a major house and to be making a living now creating stories for people. In short, I finally got my lucky break. But I do take credit for not giving up. It took me 40 years to get into the game, but I kept trying, kept improving my craft, so when I finally got my words in front of the right person, that person said, “I want to see more.” Art often struggles in a material world, but perseverance can turn even long odds into possibility.
Monika: When did you begin your gender transition, and how would you describe the experience?
Lisa: I transitioned in my mid-40s, and it was hard work, but I got through it. It helped that I had supportive people around me. Transitioning was both a challenge and a liberation, it taught me a lot about strength and authenticity.
Monika: Were there any role models or sources of inspiration that helped guide you through your transition?
Lisa: It was an enormous help early on to find a local support group so that I could see with my own eyes that I was not alone. I also got a lot of strength from Jenny Finney Boylan’s book She’s Not There. Having even one voice say “you’re not alone” can be profoundly reassuring.
Monika: Many transgender individuals face profound losses, family ties, careers, even their homes, during transition. Did you experience any of these struggles, and what was the most challenging part for you personally?
Lisa: I lost almost nothing, except the money I had to spend to pay for transition costs. In particular, the folks at my job were wonderful, so supportive and accepting. The part of transition I worried the most about and worked hardest on was coming out to my children, and that was a little bumpy at times, but it turned out fine in the end. I’m one of the lucky ones. Every positive response I received reminded me that compassion is more common than we sometimes fear.
Monika: There's increasing visibility for transgender people in media, politics, and literature. Do you believe real progress is being made, or is it still mostly surface-level representation?
Lisa: I think change is really happening, and we’ve come so far, but we still have a long way to go. We find ourselves right in the middle of a sea-change in our culture around gender identity. It’s fascinating to be part of that. The momentum is real, but sustaining it will require courage, solidarity, and continued storytelling.
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| Lisa Bunker at Water Street Bookstore (YouYube) |
Monika: Within the broader LGBTQ+ movement, do you feel the transgender community receives enough visibility and autonomy to advocate for its own needs and rights?
Lisa: In the history of the overall LGBTQ movement, there have been a few times when the other letters were perhaps not as completely supportive of the T as they could have been, but overall it seems to me that happy coordination and mutual support, and love are the norms under the big rainbow umbrella. Yay for that! The solidarity we’ve built over time is a beautiful thing, and I hope it continues to grow stronger.
Monika: Have you been personally involved in any advocacy or political campaigns, and do you believe transgender people can have a real impact in the political arena?
Lisa: I was active in the fight to legalize same-sex marriage in Maine, both times that fight was fought. I’ve also fought for equal protection under the law for trans folks in both Maine and New Hampshire. And yes, absolutely, we can make a difference in politics. Look at Danica Roem, who just got elected to the state legislature in Virginia. She ran a principled campaign on her qualifications and the issues, and she beat the self-proclaimed “chief homophobe” of the state. It was such a sweet moment. It also inspired me to run for office myself. I will be a candidate for the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 2018. Trans voices in government can bring vital firsthand experience to the table, and that’s a game-changer.
Monika: Some people suggest that, just as birth control liberated many cisgender women, advancements in cosmetic surgery have empowered transgender women by easing the pressure to “pass.” Do you agree with that comparison?
Lisa: That’s an interesting parallel to draw, but I don’t think it’s completely accurate. Passing/not passing is still a big puzzle for many trans folks, whether because they can’t afford cosmetic surgeries, or because they choose not to have them, or because even if they do, some gender markers of their old biological sex still remain. The desire to be seen and respected as one’s true self goes beyond appearances, it’s about dignity and agency.
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| Lisa's website. |
Monika: Many transgender authors share their life journeys through memoirs. Have you ever considered writing your own?
Lisa: I’ve thought about it, but if I ever do it, I don’t want to churn out yet another earnest autobiography with an inspirational title. I mean, those are nice, but we have plenty of them already. Maybe in comic novel form. Play up the absurd aspects, with a healthy dollop of snarky cultural critique on top. Something like that. We’ll see. If I ever do it, I want it to feel fresh, personal, and wildly entertaining.
Monika: How has love shaped your life, especially since your transition?
Lisa: I recently found my One, and since I found her post-transition, she loves me for who I truly am. She’s wonderful, and I’m head over heels, and we’re engaged to be married next June, and our relationship transformed my life and has made all the other happy developments I’ve experienced recently possible. Love saved me. Being loved authentically has given me a level of peace and confidence I never thought possible.
Monika: What message would you give to trans individuals currently grappling with gender dysphoria?
Lisa: Oh, sweeties, I feel for you! Take it a day at a time, and when that’s too much, an hour at a time, and when that’s too much, a minute, second... Kate Bornstein has a strong take on this. She says, do anything else you have to rather than harm yourself, as long as you’re not mean to other humans. Your pain is real, but you are not alone, and you are absolutely worth fighting for.
Monika: A friend of mine once said that our dreams shouldn’t end with gender-affirming surgery, they should begin there. Do you agree?
Lisa: That’s lovely. I would put it slightly differently, though. I would say, gender identity is only one aspect, and not the most important, of who we are. So, whatever our desires with regard to transition, and whichever of those desires we are able to bring to fruition, and whatever that costs us, we are still and always gorgeous humans, worthy to live and work and participate in all aspects of society, worthy to love and be loved, exactly as we are. The journey of becoming ourselves doesn’t limit us, it opens doors to even greater possibilities.
Monika: Lisa, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences with me today.
Lisa: Thank YOU! It has been a pleasure. Conversations like this remind me how important storytelling is for our community.
All the photos: courtesy of Lisa Bunker.
© 2017 - Monika Kowalska
